With the ever increasing problem of disposing of solid waste coupled with the depletion of fuels, metals, and other natural resources, greater attention has been focused recently on recovery of recyclable materials as part of the solid waste disposal problem. One material which can be recycled and is found in common trash is aluminum, used extensively in containers, cans, foil, and other household related items. One method of separating aluminum and other non-magnetic conductive metals from trash is described in detail in copending application Ser. No. 450,007, filed Mar. 11, 1974, by the same inventor as the present application, wherein separation is accomplished by passing a mixture of materials through a linear motor force field. The linear motor produces a moving force field in the direction transverse to the path of movement of the trash mixture. The field reacts with the conductive metal material to induce eddy currents in the material, the eddy currents producing a magnetic field which reacts with the moving field of the linear motor. The metal parts are propelled by the moving field of the linear motor in a direction transverse to the trash mixture, thus separating the metal particles from the other materials in the trash mixture.